All but four of the new infections were locally transmitted, and in addition there were around 7,400 preliminary positive cases. Fifteen more people have died of the highly infectious disease.
Infections have emerged in 30 more care homes, increasing the tally of homes affected by the disease to over 190 and involving about 120 staff and 450 residents.
The Hospital Authority (HA) also said it was concerned that accident and emergency departments of public hospitals might be swamped again with patients, even though most patients, who had recently been forced to wait outdoors in the cold weather, had now been moved inside.
HA Chief Manager Dr Sara Ho said the patients, who were still outside, mainly were there for triage and testing purposes, while others wanted better ventilation. But she said hospitals would try their best to arrange for these people to wait indoors.
Dr Ho added that the HA was also in discussions with the government about increasing the capacity of isolation facilities as soon as possible.
She again appealed for private medics to help with anti-epidemic work, saying the HA had made application easier.
“We hope with the facilitation of the process, more and more applicants will come and join our team,” she said.
Hong Kong's COVID-19 tally stands at 40,700, including 258 deaths, according to worldometers.info.
Macau's COVID-19 tally has remained at 79 for months. No novel coronavirus fatalities have been reported in Macau, which has barred foreign nationals from entering the city since March 2020.
- RTHK, MPD
